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Date:      Sun, 31 Mar 2019 11:09:09 -0700
From:      Frank Fenderbender <frankfenderbender@council124.org>
To:        freebsd-questions@freebsd.org
Subject:   desktop [install- or configur-]ation issues on Dell workstations?
Message-ID:  <BD060077-D72B-46F5-A761-9DCCED991D6F@council124.org>
References:  <43760917-5FAA-4C75-A4D2-923A5EA0E624@council124.org>

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In terms of platforming FreeBSD, I've decided to stay away from systems =
of old, which tend towards issues of compatibility, availability, and =
faded support.
So, I am trying to fit a computer system to FreeBSD rather than the =
usual "other way around".=20
I have a Dell account to work with so I am looking for a Dell =
workstation as my FreeBSD platform.
There are many ways to configure the hardware and its add-ons so I want =
to try to get the "best fit" for FreeBSD desktop, running as both a =
development. and compatibility-testing platform.

I have seen numerous issues with NVIDIA's graphics, both on Ubuntu and =
BSD discussion websites; Dell's selection set is {NVIDIA, AMD}.
I'm certain that other issues, of which I hope to learn about =
beforehand, can be avoided more or less, from how the FreeBSD =
installation and configuration find the platform onto which it will =
reside.

I am asking for considerations and suggestions that you have =
encountered, maybe even with Dell platforms themselves -- for good or =
for bad -- so that I can best address them in selecting Dell options =
ahead-of-time.=20

I will be developing and testing applications based in python3, pyqt5, =
CoreData, and sqlite3.
I'd appreciate and value your input.

I tentatively have the following system in my Dell "shopping cart" and =
want to quell my leeriness with others who have been near similar  =
installation, configuration, and usage criteria, so that I may modify my =
cart's choice(s) before pushing a "buy" button.

If anything pops out from the list below as problematic, or if a key =
component is missing, I would appreciate your "heads-up".
I presumed that it will be easier to clear-and-install on a system with =
pre-installed Ubuntu  than one with Windows 10, noting that it is =
definitely cheaper....

 Thanks much for your review,
"frank"

Precision 3630 Tower - VR Capable
=
<https://dell.com/en-us/work/shop/desktop-and-all-in-one-pcs/precision-363=
0-tower-vr-capable/spd/precision-3630-workstation/xctopt3630us4>

SYSTEM CFG QUERY			SYSTEM CFG SELECTION
-------------------------------			=
-------------------------------------
Precision Workstation				T3620 MT
Dell Precision Tower 				3620 XCTO BASE
Processor						7th Gen Intel=C2=AE=
 Core=E2=84=A2 i7-7700 (Quad Core 3.6GHz, 4.2Ghz Turbo, 8MB, w/ HD =
Graphics 630)
Operating System				Ubuntu Linux 16.04
Microsoft Office					No Productivity =
Software
Chassis Options					Dell Precision Tower =
3620 Up to 90% efficient 365W Chassis, v2
Video Card						Integrated =
Graphics included
Memory							16GB 2X8GB DDR4 =
2400MHz UDIMM Non-ECC
Systems Management			No Out-of-Band Systems =
Management
Wireless							No =
Wireless
Internal Hard Drive Configuration	C2 SATA 3.5, 2 HD
HDD Controller					Integrated Intel SATA =
Controller
Boot Hard Drive					3.5" 1TB 7200RPM SATA =
Hard Drive
2nd Hard Drive					1TB, 3.5" SATA (7,200 =
RPM) Hard Drive
3rd Hard Drive					No Additional Hard Drive
4th Hard Drive					No Additional Hard Drive
5th Hard Drive					No Additional Hard Drive
Optical Drive						16x DVD-ROM =
drive and 19-in-1 Media Card Reader
Hard Drive RAID					No RAID
Keyboard						Dell KB216 Wired =
Keyboard English Black
Mouse							Dell MS116 Wired =
Mouse Black
Network Card					1Gbit NIC add-in card =
(PCIe- Intel)
Thunderbolt Card				No Thunderbolt Add in =
Card
Serial Port / PS2 Adapter			No Serial Port/PS2 =
Adapter
Power Cords						US Power Cord
Placemat						Documentation =
MUI
Resource DVD					Dell Precision T3620 =
Resource DVD
Operating System Recovery Options	OS-Windows Media Not Included
Energy Star						Energy Star
Optical Software					PowerDVD =
Software not included
Dell Threat Protection and Endpoint Security Suite=E2=80=8B	No Dell =
Data Protection | Endpoint Security Suite Software
Storage Volume					No Raid Configuration =
over 2TB
Canada Ship Options				Non-Canada orders only
Packaging						Dell Precision =
Packaging
Driver							No Wireless LAN =
Card
Regulatory Label					Tower 3620 =
Regulatory Label DAO
Documentation / Disks			Safety/Environment and =
Regulatory Guide (English/French Multi-language)
Non-Microsoft Application Software		Ubuntu Linux
Cables and Dongles				Video Cable, =
DisplayPort-to-VGA, One VGAConnection, One Adapter
UPC Label						No UPC Label
Hard Drive Software				No Intel Technology =
enabled
Processor Branding				=
LABEL,INTEL,CI7,7,SML,KBL
Stands and Mounts				No Stand
Hardware Support Services		5 Years ProSupport Plus with =
Next Business Day Onsite Service
IEEE 1394						No Firewire Card
Speakers and Soundbars			No External Speaker



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